In the drilling and completion industry, the formation of boreholes for the purpose of production or injection of fluid is common. The boreholes are used for exploration or extraction of natural resources such as hydrocarbons, oil, gas, water, and alternatively for CO2 sequestration. To increase the production from a borehole, the production zone can be fractured to allow the formation fluids to flow more freely from the formation to the borehole. The fracturing operation includes pumping fluids at high pressure towards the formation wall to form formation fractures. To retain the fractures in an open condition after fracturing pressure is removed, the fractures must be physically propped open, and therefore the fracturing fluids commonly include solid granular materials, such as sand, generally referred to as proppants.
Crankshaft driven positive displacement pumps are used to pump the fracturing fluids at the high pressures required for fracturing. The pressure required for hydraulic fracturing of a formation, for example, often requires fracturing fluid to be pumped at pressures of 10,000 to 15,000 psi in order to create a fracture in the formation. The pumps include a fluid end and a power end. The fluid end includes a number of plungers driven by a crankshaft toward and away from a chamber in order to affect a high or low pressure on the chamber. The fluid end receives relatively low pressure fluid, and pressurizes the fluid to provide higher pressurized fracturing fluid at the required pressure for fracturing within the borehole. The power end includes or is attached to a pump powering mechanism also known as a prime mover, commonly an electric motor, which connects to a pinion shaft to drive the power end.
The art would be receptive to improvements in a high pressure fracturing pump, particularly with respect to improving pump life.